Voice font
Encyclopedia
A voice font is a computer-generated voice that can be controlled by specifying parameters such as speed and pitch
and made to pronounce text input. The concept is akin to that of a text font
or a MIDI instrument in the sense that the same input may easily be represented in several different ways based on the design of each font.
In spite of current shortcomings in the underlying technology for voice fonts, screen readers and other devices used to enhance accessibility of text to persons with disabilities, can benefit from having more than one default voice font. This happens in the same way that users of a traditional computer word processor
benefit from having more than one text font.
article, it is difficult to fool experienced listeners into believing that the voice is indeed human.
This may be similar to the difficulty in achieving true Artificial Intelligence
that can actually pass a Turing Test
by presenting spectators with something indistinguishable from what it is trying to simulate.
For people who are hard of hearing
in the upper range of the hearing spectrum
, for example, selecting a voice that uses a lower pitch will deliver deeper sounds.
Another use for voice fonts is in electronic music
. A commonly available set of synthetic voices from Macintosh
computers can be used to enhance the mood of certain music pieces that need a voice but where the author feels that providing a human voice is not in their interests. Here, male voices can be combined in a choir to provide the tenor and bass for a particular piece, and female voices can be added to fill in other parts of the melody --resulting in a choir that consists of speech synthesis rather than different singers, or presenting a female voice when none are available to the arranger of the music.
Certain Macintosh clients of instant messaging
services such as AOL Instant Messenger
have had the option of reading incoming messages using the system's voice fonts. When message receiver has stepped away from the computer, or temporarily put away the part of the screen showing the incoming text, the computer reads the message outloud. This allows the user to continue with their other tasks without needing to view the incoming text.
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
and made to pronounce text input. The concept is akin to that of a text font
Font
In typography, a font is traditionally defined as a quantity of sorts composing a complete character set of a single size and style of a particular typeface...
or a MIDI instrument in the sense that the same input may easily be represented in several different ways based on the design of each font.
In spite of current shortcomings in the underlying technology for voice fonts, screen readers and other devices used to enhance accessibility of text to persons with disabilities, can benefit from having more than one default voice font. This happens in the same way that users of a traditional computer word processor
Word processor
A word processor is a computer application used for the production of any sort of printable material....
benefit from having more than one text font.
Shortcomings
The synthesized voice created by using a voice font tends to have a slightly unnatural tone. Human voices are very prone to change with the speaker's mood and several other factors that aren't programmed into computerized voices. Voice font software on the Macintosh system tries to get around this by providing tags to change some components of the voice, such as pitch. The Natural Voices software in the sources section allows defining acronym pronunciation and speech rate, as well as other things. Even though speech synthesis has existed since around 1930, according to that source, and the Speech synthesisSpeech synthesis
Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware...
article, it is difficult to fool experienced listeners into believing that the voice is indeed human.
This may be similar to the difficulty in achieving true Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
that can actually pass a Turing Test
Turing test
The Turing test is a test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour. In Turing's original illustrative example, a human judge engages in a natural language conversation with a human and a machine designed to generate performance indistinguishable from that of a human being. All...
by presenting spectators with something indistinguishable from what it is trying to simulate.
Common uses
Like its text counterpart, each voice font can supply a different experience and provide a selection for different purposes. The simplest one is to select a voice font from a group in order to get the clearest one, or to choose the one with a speed that is appropriate for different settings.For people who are hard of hearing
Hearing (sense)
Hearing is the ability to perceive sound by detecting vibrations through an organ such as the ear. It is one of the traditional five senses...
in the upper range of the hearing spectrum
Spectrum
A spectrum is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary infinitely within a continuum. The word saw its first scientific use within the field of optics to describe the rainbow of colors in visible light when separated using a prism; it has since been applied by...
, for example, selecting a voice that uses a lower pitch will deliver deeper sounds.
Another use for voice fonts is in electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
. A commonly available set of synthetic voices from Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
computers can be used to enhance the mood of certain music pieces that need a voice but where the author feels that providing a human voice is not in their interests. Here, male voices can be combined in a choir to provide the tenor and bass for a particular piece, and female voices can be added to fill in other parts of the melody --resulting in a choir that consists of speech synthesis rather than different singers, or presenting a female voice when none are available to the arranger of the music.
Certain Macintosh clients of instant messaging
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
services such as AOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger is an instant messaging and presence computer program which uses the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol and the TOC protocol to allow registered users to communicate in real time. It was released by AOL in May 1997...
have had the option of reading incoming messages using the system's voice fonts. When message receiver has stepped away from the computer, or temporarily put away the part of the screen showing the incoming text, the computer reads the message outloud. This allows the user to continue with their other tasks without needing to view the incoming text.
Sources
- dot-font: Voice Fonts Speak Volumes
- Project: AT&T Natural Voices Text-to-Speech
- Tone changes using dictionaries